Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka team guide

Sri Lanka's World Cup triumph in 1996 provided the blueprint for how modern one-day cricket is played and now, 15 years on, they will be looking for a repeat.

The household names of Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas may have been moved on, but an experienced squad still contains plenty of match-winners.

A formidable one-day side, particularly in Asia, Sri Lanka are genuine contenders to lift the trophy for a second time.

WORLD CUP RECORD

From winning only four games in their previous five tournaments, Sri Lanka changed the face of one-day cricket with victory in 1996. They were blasted through the early stages by openers Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana before Aravinda de Silva's one-man show in the final against Australia saw them become the only host nation to ever lift the trophy. A first-round exit followed in 1999, before progress to the semis in 2003 and final in 2007.

THE SKIPPER

A trained lawyer, Kumar Sangakkara is one of the most intelligent, articulate and likeable men in the international game. Has long since given up the gloves in Test cricket, but combines wicketkeeping and captaincy in the shorter formats. Despite the multi-tasking, the 33-year-old remains impressively consistent with the bat, even if he is without a one-day century since June 2008.

KEY MAN

Competing with Virender Sehwag for the tag of most exciting opener on the planet, Tillakaratne Dilshan is Sri Lanka's modern-day Jayasuriya. Since being promoted to the top of the order in early 2009 his form has been outstanding, and Sri Lanka will be looking for more of the same in a tournament where early-innings hitting could be crucial. He is also the inventor of the infamous "Dilscoop" shot over the wicketkeeper's head which has become a limited-overs staple.

PROSPECTS

Sri Lanka will benefit from home advantage, but will not be under the same pressure as co-hosts India. With the batting to post big totals and, Sangakkara's men will be targeting the semi-finals at least. There's also the small matter of Muttiah Muralitharan's farewell to international cricket - do not rule out a fairytale ending.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.